Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Humble Bundle Has Reached a Major Milestone: Over $100,000,000 in Charity Donations

Humble Bundle (or as I like to call it, "the reason my Steam library has more games than I'll ever play") launched in 2010 with a simple mission: supporting charities by giving gamers the opportunity to pay what they want for awesome games. Since then, there have been countless bundles, including new categories of bundles like books, music, movies, mobile games, and a monthly subscription bundle. Plus, they've expanded to a full game store where you can get DRM-free and Steam games while still supporting charities.

And they've reached a major milestone: over $100,000,000 in charity donations. They've helped provide water to those who need it, protected people's civil... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/18/2017 at 05:08pm

Wow. Really nice I was part of that by way of getting some great games and some of that went to charity. One such game I still play now I got in a bundle was FTL and that turned out really well.

What's the game you got from a bundle you played the most Travis?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/18/2017 at 05:16pm

I can't remember if I got Terraria from a bundle. If so, that one. If not, Mass Effect 2 from the Origin bundle takes that title.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/18/2017 at 05:18pm

OK I just checked. I *did* get Terraria from a bundle but I already had it by that point, so I don't guess I count that.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/18/2017 at 11:11pm

Right, I saw that Terraria bundle and I skipped it because I already had the game from a prior Steam sale where I bought it for something crazy like $5.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/19/2017 at 03:20am

I think I got it for the other games, plus I never mind having an extra copy of Terraria. I've given that game to like 5 people at this point. Gotta spread the love!

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Bethesda Is Releasing Doom & Wolfenstein II On The Switch

In Nintendo's livestream today they let us a know a couple Bethesda games are coming to the Switch. Skyrim is coming this November which was previously announced at E3. The latest news though is pretty interesting as Doom 2016 is coming this holiday and Wolfenstein II is coming next year. This is pretty big news for Switch owners as Nintendo, to date, hasn't really received a lot of big box third party titles and seeing Bethesda jump in is really interesting. I have questions about how good the ports play and the graphics of the games but if they work out well enough, this could be really interesting for the longevity of Switch and how certain gamers look at it.

Nintendo Stocking Many More SNES Classics & Bringing Back The NES Classic In 2018!

Looks like Nintendo is recommending people don't pickup a SNES Classic for more than $80 on the third party market. Hopefully they can stock many more units of the SNES Classic so things don't come to that but my guess is they will still have some supply issues.

"“I would strongly urge you not to over-bid on an SNES Classic on any of the auction sites,” Fils-Aimé said. “You shouldn’t pay more than $79.99.”"

Good point but again, that's really up to Nintendo if people can get one or not. All that said, Nintendo does seem to plan on stocking more SNES Classic units this holiday season.

"Certainly the demand is there and the supply chain is there. Can we do more? It depends... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 09/12/2017 at 01:11pm

And thanks again for that tip! I think I got my preorder in literally seconds before they were out of stock.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/12/2017 at 01:57pm

Yeah man, I was glad you got one.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/12/2017 at 03:42pm

I better get a SNES classic. I have a few trackers that I am monitoring.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/14/2017 at 11:43pm

Most important question: How long are the controller cords?

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/15/2017 at 02:23am

I think 5 feet this time around.

jaelte wrote on 09/15/2017 at 11:57pm

Oh good. In a moment of weakness, I did attempt to pre-order an SNES Classic from ThinkGeek, but the site timed-out on me when I tried to submit the order. It's good to know that I may have another chance to fail my will save.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/16/2017 at 02:17pm

I almost got it from a Think Geek bundle too but couldn't because of the demand. Kind of glad that didn't work out, it was expensive and I didn't want that other stuff.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 09/16/2017 at 02:17pm

Well.. I tried to get one on Think Geek. The site was crushed immediately.

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I Finally Beat Link Between Worlds!

jdodson gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

jdodson gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Link Between Worlds is the direct sequel to Link to the Past and a game I’ve been playing since I got my 3DS in December. It’s a good pickup and play Zelda Adventure that’s a must buy for any 3DS owner. Recently I beat it while on vacation and felt that the ending was a satisfying conclusion to the “To the Past” trilogy consisting of Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening and Link Between Worlds. The “To The Past” trilogy isn’t a formal Zelda trilogy but one I noticed as Link’s Awakening is a direct sequel to Link to the Past and Link Between Worlds is a direct sequel to that. I might be the only person to consider these three games a trilogy but I think I can handle... Read All Link Between Worlds is the direct sequel to Link to the Past and a game I’ve been playing since I got my 3DS in December. It’s a good pickup and play Zelda Adventure that’s a must buy for any 3DS owner. Recently I beat it while on vacation and felt that the ending was a satisfying conclusion to the “To the Past” trilogy consisting of Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening and Link Between Worlds. The “To The Past” trilogy isn’t a formal Zelda trilogy but one I noticed as Link’s Awakening is a direct sequel to Link to the Past and Link Between Worlds is a direct sequel to that. I might be the only person to consider these three games a trilogy but I think I can handle that.

The entire Link Between Worlds story is a direct parallel to Link to the Past. Lorule in LBW is similar, if not the same place as the Dark World in LTTP. It’s not really spelled out if Lorule is the exact same place as the Dark World in LTTP but the dungeons line up in location, theme and even boss encounters. Even though there is that built in similarity LBW verges in that it gives Lorule a bit more personality and actual characters. That said, there is a pretty fun story based switcheroo at the end that I won’t spoil even though a few dungeons away from the end I saw coming. The switch at the end isn’t particularly hidden if you are paying attention and is a fun play off the typical Zelda style story.

Like many elements of Link Between Worlds the music is heavily influenced by themes from Link to the Past but breaks new ground stylistically. The music by Ryo Nagamatsu takes the retro SNES bit themes and arranges them with live orchestra, small ensembles and an Celt flavor that really gives the game a much more earthy tone to it. The Hyrule Dungeon theme song in Link Between Worlds is based on the original theme but Nagamatsu arranges it for a modern ensemble and his choices for the natural instruments to play the parts of the 16-bit score are well made. Linked below is the original Hyrule Dungeon theme and Nagamatu’s version that shows off how well he translated and built on the original score.

Link to the Past Dungeon Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1UyVXN13SI

Link Between Worlds Hyrule Dungeon Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyn4A52jkxg (dat woodblock & trumpet!)

Nagamatu’s original music is also quite good and never felt out of place with the old themes.

Link Between Worlds is a game I plan on coming back to which is one of the highest bits of praise I have. I really hope Nintendo rereleases this on the Switch so more people can play it because it’s such a sharp game worthy of more attention. If the past Zelda games are an indicator Nintendo should rerelease it, it’s just a matter of time. I’m not entirely sure if Link Between Worlds is a reason in itself to buy a 3DS but if you were close to picking one up and were a huge Link to the Past fan, i’d check it out. The Link Between Worlds game cart doesn’t seem to be available from Nintendo new so I picked it up used on Amazon but it’s also available digitally from the 3DS shop.

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment Review

http://yachtclubgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/specterKnightLogoBlack.png

Specter of Torment is a prequel to the original Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope game. It follows Specter Knight as he "recruits" each member of The Order of No Quarter. It also dives into Specter Knight's backstory, which I will not reveal here.

The game itself is similar to both Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows. It is a 2D platformer that has you fighting boss battles at the end of every level. What is different from Shovel and Plague is Yacht Club Games has gotten rid of the world map. In the previous games you used the world map to travel from level to level (like Super Mario World), but in Specter, you just jump straight to any level via a portal (think Mega Man... Read All Specter of Torment is a prequel to the original Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope game. It follows Specter Knight as he "recruits" each member of The Order of No Quarter. It also dives into Specter Knight's backstory, which I will not reveal here.

The game itself is similar to both Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows. It is a 2D platformer that has you fighting boss battles at the end of every level. What is different from Shovel and Plague is Yacht Club Games has gotten rid of the world map. In the previous games you used the world map to travel from level to level (like Super Mario World), but in Specter, you just jump straight to any level via a portal (think Mega Man games). I missed the world map, and I wonder why they did not include it here. I think they were going for the Mega Man feel here, but it just feels like they dropped a feature due to time.

Speaking of time, this game is a lot shorter than both Shovel and Plague. It took me about six hours to beat the game, where Shovel and Plague took me ten and twelve hours, respectively. This is a quick game that you can beat in a day.

Another thing that I felt that Yacht Club Games scaled back on is story. Both Shovel of Torment and Plague of Shadows had great stories and characters. Specter of Torment does not have as grand of a story. This leads me to care less for the characters than in previous games.

The one thing that Yacht Club Games does nail is level design and controls. They are tight. The mechanics of Specter Knight are really cool with his wall scale, the ability to jump off walls, and the ability to do what I will call a "lunge attack" in air. I cannot tell if they reused previous levels from the other games, but it does not really matter, they are still great. I actually finished this game a while back, and then played it again for this review and I still had a lot of fun.

The boss battles in this game range from really easy to moderate difficulty, kind of inline with the previous releases of Shovel Knight games. I found that I could beat all bosses with some ground attacks and in-air lunge attacks. I was not really surprised by this given the difficulty of the boss battles in the previous games.

Secondary items, called Curios, were neat but not really needed to beat the game. The only one that I used all the time was the healing item. The rest were fun to get and try out but were barely needed to solve the puzzles and beat enemies.

Overall I enjoyed this game, and will play it again. The story wasn't quite there for me, but the level design and controls were top notch. Overall, I would rank it as my least favorite in the series, but still fun.

The review for this game came from the Switch version. Specter of Torment is also available on the PC, Wii U, 3DS, PS4, Vita, PS3, Xbox One and Fire TV.

Yacht Club Games provided Cheerful Ghost with a Switch download key for Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, which Specter of Torment is part of.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/12/2017 at 03:55am

Cool review. I have it installed, but haven't tried it out yet. I haven't played Shovel Knight either.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/12/2017 at 03:36pm

You should give them a go. They are awesome.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/12/2017 at 03:44pm

I never beat Shovel Knight. I'm adding it back to my games to play based on your reviews. And because I had so much fun playing Mega Man 2.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/12/2017 at 03:46pm

I would say Plague Knight is my favorite, followed by Shovel and then Specter. Plague Knight is best played after Shovel though as there are some cool subtle story points of things that happened in Shovel Knight.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/12/2017 at 03:48pm

Cool, i'll make sure I check them out in order then. The new King Knight game looks interesting. I wonder if that card game will be fun? I guess if it's not there is plenty to like in the base game still

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member Post Author wrote on 09/12/2017 at 04:03pm

I think I get that with Treasure Trove, right? If so I will have to review it when it comes out.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/12/2017 at 10:10pm

Yep. Treasure Trove means you get all the content updates included.

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PortsCenter Reviews Marble Madness on Game Boy Advance

Ben Paddon reviews a very specific port of Marble Madness packed in with Klax on the Game Boy Advance. As always the video drops some history on Game Boy Advance and several others games ported to it. Oh yeah and Ben doesn't actually recommend you get Marble Madness on the GBA as it's ... terrible. I can vouch for the NES port though, that one seems quite good and that's the one i've played the most as my cousin had in on Nintendo and we played it a lot.

The NES Classic Is Incredible & I Just Beat Mega Man 2

jdodson gives this an astounding "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

jdodson gives this a "Must Play" on the Ghost Scale

This achieves something special, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Recently I picked up an NES Classic and have been playing it a lot. I'm a huge fan of retro games and the NES Classic is a fun nod to Nintendo's past. The hardware, Operating System and choice of games are all top notch and I decided to dive in an focus on games I haven't played much before. I also have been playing all the two player games that have the ability for two players to play at the same time. Most 2 player games have each player take turns playing, one after another like in Super Mario Brothers 3 and the like. But I prefer two player games where we can play at the same time like Dr. Mario, Mario Bros. and Bubble Bobble. In fact, i'd say two player gaming is... Read All Recently I picked up an NES Classic and have been playing it a lot. I'm a huge fan of retro games and the NES Classic is a fun nod to Nintendo's past. The hardware, Operating System and choice of games are all top notch and I decided to dive in an focus on games I haven't played much before. I also have been playing all the two player games that have the ability for two players to play at the same time. Most 2 player games have each player take turns playing, one after another like in Super Mario Brothers 3 and the like. But I prefer two player games where we can play at the same time like Dr. Mario, Mario Bros. and Bubble Bobble. In fact, i'd say two player gaming is where the NES Classic shines. I plan on reviewing each game on the NES Classic separately but nothing says "frantic couch co-op fun" like Mario Bros. and trying to beat those levels with a friend.

All that to say, the NES Classic is one of the best things i've got in gaming recently and I can't wait to get to each of the games, which given how many there are should take me quite a bit to do.

One single player game I decided to focus on first was a game I played a bit in middle school called Mega Man 2. I'd say Mega Man 2 is one of the more enjoyable Mega Man games i've played and also very very challenging. It doesn't feel too punishing once you figure out how to beat a boss or complete a level but it's really unforgiving and if you don't time a jump just so or learn a particular way a boss attacks you will die. A lot. Which is one of the biggest strengths of Mega Man 2, it's really hard but balances it so well as to be an amazing amount of fun.

Oh and I beat it the other night for the first time. Completing the game gave me a really high sense of accomplishment but to do it I used the save/load feature of the NES Classic. It's a nice feature that doesn't punish you for dying and allows you to replay sections over and over until you get it just right. After beating it using save/load my current play through is using the normal lives and continue system. So far i'm getting through some stages a bit faster than my first playthrough but one penalty of using a continue is that you lose your energy tanks. It's a pretty negative consequence of using up all your lives but at some point you get so good at the game that using energy tanks isn't needed anymore. I'm not quite to that point yet but I don't need energy tanks to complete the normal boss stages anymore.

Mega Man 2 is rightly considered one of the stand out games of the Mega Man series and i'd say holds up incredibly well today. I respect that each boss stage isn't too long and Dr Wiley's boss stages amp up the difficulty to make the final confrontation seem much more menacing. If you haven't played Mega Man 2 you can get it on Steam XBox One or PS4 as part of the Mega Man Legacy Collection. The Legacy Collection comes with Mega Man 1 - 6 which is a great value at $15 if you haven't played any of these games yet. That said, expect a challenge because Mega Man doesn't hold your hand at all.

Final SGDQ 2017 Wrap Up

Summer Games Done Quick was an amazing event this year packed with so many runs I couldn't watch them all. I've been slowly watching the remaining runs I missed over time and have the last "best of" batch to share.

Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link by Error72 in 49:31 is embedded above. Adventures of Link is a great game but an odd one out compared to the more traditional top down retro Zelda games. 49.31 is Error72's personal best and a minute away from the world record for Any % No Scroll lock.

Luigi's Mansion by HDlax1 in 57:25 is a great run to watch if you've never actually played the game before like me. Luigi's Mansion was a GameCube launch title and gets a lot of... Read All

Watch Nine Minutes of Cuphead

Game Informer has posted some demo footage of Cuphead, the upcoming indie platformer styled after 1930s cartoons. The art style is amazing-- as someone who grew up watching all the Looney Tunes and older cartoons I could get my hands on, this looks like tight, difficult, and satisfying gameplay wrapped up in charming bit of nostalgia.

The game is coming in a few weeks on September 29 to Xbox One and PC.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/07/2017 at 04:10am

I wonder if the you can turn off the "fuzz" effect? It's not really a fuzz, kind of a blur / 30mm scratches effect?

They've really nailed the style of the game though but i've never looked at it and wanted to play it. Watch it sure, but maybe this is one of those games you have to try?

Are you getting it on PC?

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/07/2017 at 05:03pm

No switch version?

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/07/2017 at 05:12pm

Nope.

https://www.polygon.com/2017/7/4/15919210/cuphead-ps4-version

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/07/2017 at 05:20pm

Good thing I have all the platforms. :P

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/07/2017 at 09:58pm

Yep, I'm totally getting it on PC. I've been wanting to play it since the first E3 trailer a couple years back. The levels are done interestingly, with platforming segments and bosses separately, but the gameplay reminds me of some hybrid of Mega Man and a Metal Slug/Contra type of game.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/07/2017 at 10:32pm

That comparison seems apt. With that it's so unique that I really want to try it before I get it.

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No Man's Sky Review, One Year Later: It's All About Depth

Travis gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

Travis gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

(This review does not contain spoilers past what the release announcement discusses. If you want to go in totally blind about new features, please consider skipping this one.)

After the third major update, Atlas Rises, No Man's Sky is what it was meant to be.

A common criticism of the game was that it's as wide as the ocean and as deep as a puddle. I never thought it was that dire, but the depth has improved dramatically. A game with "Mostly Negative" reviews on Steam has achieved "Very Positive" recent reviews for the first time.

So what makes things different now?

First, there's a new main story, separate from the Atlas Path (which has also been tweaked). The fourth... Read All

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/05/2017 at 12:52am

I often remembered that depth quote as I played the game, it felt too fitting. However, just as you say, the game got deeper. I liked it to begin with, but some things got old, like trying to scan every fauna on a planet. I don't worry about those scans as much. I like that now there is plenty to do and reasons behind many of them.

I recently deleted the game that I had going and created a new one, mostly because of your warning regarding Atlas Rises and old saved games. I'm ok with it and I think it's a great time to start over from the beginning. I'd still like to be able to use freighters to transport my exocraft to different planets instead of having to build an exobay on planets I want to ride around on. I'd also like to see Nanite Clusters not take up a space in the inventory. Other than that, I can't think of much more I want from this game. I'm not too concerned with multiplayer, but it does sound interesting. Thanks for reporting on that.

In the end, the game has grown quite well in the last year. I think it's a better game now.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/05/2017 at 02:40am

> I'd also like to see Nanite Clusters not take up a space in the inventory.

Oh man, you and me both. There's still plenty of interface tweaks they could make to make things more comfortable to use, and that's on the top of my list.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/12/2017 at 03:53am

I should try to remember my minor current complaints about the game. I had a bug upon trying to exit my Nomad, I was placed some distance away. I did establish a base, but wasn't happy with the planet, due to the weather and lack of land mass. Luckily, I found a much better planet and moved.

I previously had an issue, when I first tried out the Missions Board. I accepted multiple missions and had trouble finding where I was supposed to go for of them.There was no icon for it on my map. I created a new save since then and decided to accept missions one at a time and haven't run into the issue again.

I have progressed a bit into the story and I can see how deep the game got. It's like they released a somewhat incomplete game. This year they have made a lot of progress in adding some of the finishing touches, especially the story. Really, I think things are a lot more "polished" now.

The game has crashed on me at two or three times recently. Otherwise, it's pretty stable.

GeForce Experience optimizes my AA settings to Ultra-SSAA x4, but the game seems to often change it to something else. I don't even see that setting in-game, the AA options don't include that one. I guess it doesn't matter too much, I'm not sure if I've seen a difference.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/12/2017 at 01:10pm

Don't use GeForce experience for this one (or like... most games). With NMS they are using old settings. It'll try to "optimize" your game to settings that don't exist.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/12/2017 at 05:24pm

Yeah, that seems to be what it's doing.

I progressed even more into the story. I know the significance of "16" or what it means. I made it to the point where you decide which path to take; Atlas, center, or free exploration. So, I feel like I've gone through the major changes of Atlas Rises and am now back to the game as it was before. I know my old save was about a year old and even after multiple trips through black holes, I don't think I was even close to the center. How about you? Have you made it to the center?

I don't like the new terrain manipulator. I prefer the old one. I tried the new one out, but wasn't successful at it, maybe I need to get more serious with it and figure it out.

I really do like a lot of what they've done to the game in the last year. I might not be able to think of them all at the moment. I do feel like I'm spending a lot less time switching to new ships. After my first ship, I found a really big class B ship and I've had it since. It has a lot of slots, even if I haven't repaired all of them, which is another new feature I like.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/12/2017 at 08:18pm

What do you mean new terrain manipulator? It was brand new with 1.3. Before that you could chuck grenades to blow up the ground (you still can). Unless I'm not sure what you mean. But I don't love the terrain manipulator. Its charge runs out so fast and it's faster to grenade things to remove ground, and adding ground is tedious.

And yeah I made a mad dash for the center once I felt like I was basically done with 1.0. So you finished the Artemis path, you got the choice at the end. I won't spoil what happens at the center but I will say it's similar to that.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/12/2017 at 11:26pm

Yeah, I miss the grenades and yeah I finished the Artemis path.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/13/2017 at 02:22am

You still have grenades!

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/13/2017 at 03:17am

To clarify, you may not have them if you've replaced your multitool and didn't install them in the new one. I *think* my first few multi-tools back in the day had them already built but I could be making that up.

But every time I switch I forget to install stuff until I really need it.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/13/2017 at 05:21am

Cool, thanks. I probably just haven't found that tech yet.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/13/2017 at 04:12pm

I miss the grenades as well! Now that Nanites are a thing, it's take a lot longer to find new tech. It used to be almost every waypoint with buildings had some blueprint in it. It's probably better balanced now, but was much easier before :)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/13/2017 at 04:13pm

I'd be shocked if you haven't, they have those plans weighted so that you get the tech for the base components early. But, if you've been focusing on Artemis and haven't done a lot of exploring and found those buildings that give you the tech, that could be why.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/13/2017 at 05:44pm

I'm pretty sure I've not found a grenade blueprint yet (I restarted my game after the newest update). I believe back in the day, you could simply find blueprints everywhere, but now where I used to find blueprints, I'm finding Nanite Clusters, and I don't think to trade them in at the trade stations often, but that seems to be the main source of blueprints now.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/13/2017 at 07:14pm

Mm yes. It seems like a lot of times those in the space station don't have the basic ones when you need them. "Those buildings that give you tech" should have been more specific: the buildings with NPCs that give you tech.

The outposts and things with NPCs that do a speech check give you the blueprints like they used to. Sometimes you'll only get standing, sometimes credits, but it seems it's the same rotation of blueprints for the ones that do. I got a lot of blueprints that way.

And Nada and Polo still give them to you as well.

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